For parents in Canada

[Q's mama]

I am wondering who gives your child Insulin at school?A nurse or aide or someone else?
My son is starting JK on tuesday and I will be at the school giving injections at lunch until they find someone to train an aide at the school. The aide that I spoke to didn't seem very supportive and I am nervous about leaving him in their care. Has anyone got a nurse for their childs school?
We are in Ontario.

[wilf]

I am wondering who gives your child Insulin at school?A nurse or aide or someone else?
My son is starting JK on tuesday and I will be at the school giving injections at lunch until they find someone to train an aide at the school. The aide that I spoke to didn't seem very supportive and I am nervous about leaving him in their care. Has anyone got a nurse for their childs school?
We are in Ontario.

Hi Jenn, We live out in the country near Hamilton - great to see others from Canada!

Have you looked into whether it might be possible to skip the lunch-time injection? My daughter was diagnosed 13 months ago, and so far we have more or less managed to get by without an injection at lunch.

We are using NPH, Regular and NovoRapid insulins. In the morning we use Regular for the bolus insulin (it has a peak effect at 2-3 hours, and still some residual working at 4 hours when she has her lunch) and give a good amount of NPH as basal (it starts having its peak effect at 3-4 hours which is lunch time, and keeps working till into the afternoon).

The result is that between them, the Regular and the NPH (which we inject at breakfast, before school starts) cover the carbs from the lunch. We make sure the lunches are a little on the light side for carbs (typically a sandwich, veggies, a cheese string, and maybe a low-carb yoghurt and/or a sugarless treat)..

You might want to chat with your endo to see if they are game to try something like with you.

Also, if your son was diagnosed in Feb. then it is possible that he may still be in his "honeymoon phase", and producing some of his own insulin. That would make it even easier.

[Megans Dad]

quite simply it is the parents job to do it although now that Megan is 10 and now on a pump we can now do it via telephone with Megan but for the first two years my wife went to the school anytime a shot was required. Canada, Winnipeg to be sure, is backwards when it comes do diabetes care and no staff members in Winnipeg schools will give an insulin shot

[3js]

Hi, I`m in Canada too, and my son is in the same regimen as wilf`s.

My son is 10, and is able to give his own insulin (we use pens). However, it seems that staff do not administer meds at our school (we have no nurse).
This includes Glucagon.

So if my son takes extra novorapid (fast acting) at school for treats at a party ect, it is between he and I. It is not even mentioned in the careplan.

This includes- unfortunately and VERY unfairly- in the event that there is a disaster/emergency.

Good luck with this! Every parent that can change things a bit sets a precedent for the next d-kid. And it doesn`t seem reasonable that you go to the school everyday.

I hope this works out for your family. Please keep us posted, I`d be very interested in what the protocol is! Take care:cwds: Jen

[Emma'sDad]

Emma just started K. The first three days have been hectic for both teacher and parents. So, I went to school to give injections and proper carb count. Teacher did do snack time very well.

Next week, we are creating meal sheets in the lunch box. We will go to the school to supervise, but we'll get the teacher to do the carb counting and here's the best part... All the teacher has to do is tell Emma how much to give herself, verify that the pen is properly dialed and Emma can give herself her own needle. So, hopefully next week, we'll be able to cut the cord and not have to travel across town to do lunch needles anymore.

Good luck with your new school year!!!

[Q's mama]

Wow good job to Emma for doing her own injection!:)
Does she inject in her tummy or leg or what?
Sounds like you have a great school.

[Emmasmommy]

Hi I am from Ontario (Barrie area) and My daughter Emma starts JK next year but through the CCAC we are already starting to train a RN to care for Emma while she is at scool. As it sits right now we have a nurse come to our home 3 hours a week to A give me a break and B get to know Emma and her needs so that its one less stress when she starts school next year. CCAC in Ontario pays to have an RN eaither A come to the school 3 times a day to do injects and sugar checks or B pays for a RN to stay with your child at the school for the full day depending on what your childs needs are (how under controll they are and if they know when they are low ect.) I would get in contact with them and get things set up becuase I know that schools in Ontario can not A give glucigon in needed check sugar if child is really low and cant do it themself ect.
I hope this helps. Feel free to message me anytime and I can look into phone numbers in your area for CCAC if you need help.

Good luck

[Emma'sDad]

Hi Jen, when Emma first started doing her own injections, she was actually doing both belly and arm. Arm became too hard for her to aim so she just does her belly, but my God what a help that is alone! Legs, oh my no, she made it very clear when she was 3 that the legs were absolutely out of the question. To this day, every time we threaten to do the leg, she almost freaks out.

[momofsingingdiabetic]

We had that problem at first with Danielle and her belly. Legs were fine...arms if we did it...but no belly. She changed her mind real quick. And then, right before she switched to the pump, she found a way she could lean against a wall and do her arm too.

[wilf]

Hi I am from Ontario (Barrie area) and My daughter Emma starts JK next year but through the CCAC we are already starting to train a RN to care for Emma while she is at scool. As it sits right now we have a nurse come to our home 3 hours a week to A give me a break and B get to know Emma and her needs so that its one less stress when she starts school next year. CCAC in Ontario pays to have an RN eaither A come to the school 3 times a day to do injects and sugar checks or B pays for a RN to stay with your child at the school for the full day depending on what your childs needs are (how under controll they are and if they know when they are low ect.) I would get in contact with them and get things set up becuase I know that schools in Ontario can not A give glucigon in needed check sugar if child is really low and cant do it themself ect.
I hope this helps. Feel free to message me anytime and I can look into phone numbers in your area for CCAC if you need help.

Good luck

Wow! What is CCAC?

[3js]

http://www.diabetesadvocacy.com/school_policies.htm

I posted this a while ago in the school/daycare room. It may be some help.

[Emmasmommy]

CCAC stands for Comunity care access center it is funded by the ontario Government to give care or service to allow people with needs to be able to live at home and go to school with out the stress of service. My daughter gets a nurse once a week to relive me for 3 hours and care for her as well when I Give birth to baby number 6 CCAC will make sure that Emma has 12 hour shift nursing so my husband can work while I am in the hospital. They also pay for her phyiso (she also was born with club feet so she needs rehab) and then they also pay for my Autisic daughters OT and PT that she gets once a week while she is at school. When Emma starts school next year she will have a RN at the school for the full day as she gets older and can tell when she is low ect. She will move on to next step nursing which is a RN will go into the school at Every snack and lunch time to help her carb count and check she sugar and if she can do it her self then she will just watch what Emma is doing and ensure that it is done right.

Anyone in Ontario that dosent have the care they need when there child is in school should call there peds doctor or Endocrin and ask about CCAC becuase any doctor can put the referal in and it dosent cost the parents anything.

[Q's mama]

Wow I can not believe that I spent the entire summer making phone calls and trying to set things up, and no one I spoke to anywhere told me about this:mad: I am calling our clinic right now!
Thank you so much Emmasmom, btw we are sort of in the area. Just moved to Owen Sound last week.

[3js]

http://www.diabetes.ca/Files/kwd_standard.pdf

here is a link that sets out what standards of care schools are required to carry out.